Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 9, 27-40, Copyright © 1992 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
MW Allard and RL Honeycutt
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation was examined in eight taxa of
the African rodent family Bathyergidae, as well as in two taxa
representative of the Old-World hystricognathid rodent families Petromyidae
and Thryonomyidae. A total of 812 bp, constituting domains I-III of the 12S
ribosomal rRNA gene, were compared for each taxon. The high levels of
intrafamilial mtDNA sequence divergence observed (average 16.8, range
3.5-23.2) support an ancient origin for the five genera, 20-38 Mya. These
data do not support the current subfamilial groupings of the Bathyergidae.
The eastern African naked mole-rat, Heterocephalus glaber, is the most
basal representative of the family, with the silvery mole-rat,
Heliophobius, being the next most basal. South African forms [dune, common,
and cape mole-rats (Bathyergus, Cryptomys, and Georychus, respectively)]
group together. The independent origin of the common mole-rat, relative to
the naked mole- rat, suggests that complex social systems evolved in
parallel along different bathyergid lineages. The 12S rRNA gene is not
evolving at a higher rate within the rodent lineages, relative to that seen
for artiodactyls and primates. Bathyergid rodents appear to fall at an
extreme end of the spectrum of mammalian variation, with respect to both
transition/transversion ratios and divergence, showing much lower
transition/transversion ratios than those previously reported for
intrafamilial comparisons.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Nucleotide sequence variation in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene and the phylogeny of African mole-rats (Rodentia: Bathyergidae)
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.
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